


On the Road to Hell

by RosettaStarlight



Series: It's a Sad Song (But We Sing it Anyway) [1]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell, The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst without a happy ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hadestown AU, Harrow as Persephone, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I blame Twitter, I got sucked down this wormhole and if I'm going down you're all coming with me!, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Inspired by Hadestown, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, Minor Harrow/Viren (The Dragon Prince), Persephone Goes Willingly With Hades (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Sad Ending, Viren Being Viren (The Dragon Prince), Viren Tries His Best (The Dragon Prince), Viren as Hades, all aboard the pain train, anyone who knows this myth knows exactly how it's gonna end, but that's why we love it, claudia as orpheus, harrow and viren are married in this au, it's not exactly a good marriage but they're married, it's sad but happy too at the same time, kasef as Eurydice, they were in love once but they've grown apart, whoa look at all those tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:33:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosettaStarlight/pseuds/RosettaStarlight
Summary: It's an old song, an old tale from way back when.It's an sad song. And we're gonna sing it anyway.Years have past since she went down to the Underworld and failed to bring back her lover. But they still tell her tale, as if maybe, just maybe, it'll turn out this time.Once upon a time, Harrow, god of spring, fell in love with the god of the Underworld. And once they wed, he became king of Hadestown, trapped between the two worlds of above and below.Once upon a time, a poor girl named Claudia whose story the world would soon know, worked on a way to bring back spring. She had little to her name, but she had a gift to give. She could make you see how the world could be, in spite of the way that it was.Once upon a time, Kasef was a runaway from everywhere he'd ever been. Long been left out in the cold, he'd been running for so many years, he can't remember a time things were ever different. He knew how to survive, but not how to live. He had seen how the world was, and it was all he'd known.Their story is destined to end in tragedy.But they sing it anyway.
Relationships: Claudia/Kasef (The Dragon Prince), Harrow/Viren (The Dragon Prince), if I decide to put in any other ships they'll just be mentioned or in the background
Series: It's a Sad Song (But We Sing it Anyway) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937593
Kudos: 3





	On the Road to Hell

It all started with a melody.

That's how it always started, wasn't it?

A song, a tune, a beat. Music livened and brightened their dull world more than anything else. It touched hearts and minds, connecting people in a way few could explain.

A good song had the power to bring a smile to the coldest of hearts, move the hardened to tears, bring people together, fix the broken. The most beautiful was well known to have brought the world back into balance, making the flowers bloom and spring return after years of blistering heat or freezing cold, never in-between.

And for finishing her greatest work and bringing the world back into tune, she would forever pay the price for her greatest _failure_. Where she had once used her magic to make the world laugh and smile even in its hardest times, she now made it weep with her broken heart and soul.

No one had heard or seen anything of her since she failed that last test. No one knew if she was even still alive, or if she'd ended her misery in a last desperate attempt to be with her beloved. Would nature let her, or had they grown to love her too much to allow such a once-brilliant soul snuff out its own light?

How ironic for life to grow fond for a daughter of death. Then again, she'd always left that impact on just about everyone she'd met

Either way, whatever her fate, the girl remained gone with the wind. Just like her mama only a few years after she'd been born, not dead but having packed her things and left behind her two children for the next ghost town, never quite the motherly type to begin with.

Lost to oblivion, the girl who had tread where no one else had dared, the girl who had done the impossible and gone farther than anyone had ever thought she would, who may have failed that final test but had come so _close_ to getting what she'd started her journey for in the first place. Who likely would have if not for the whispers of doubt that echoed in her mind for those last few moments just before she reached the world above. Who'd changed the world and showed how it _could_ be despite how it was now.

And her reward was to spend the rest of her life in shame and regret for losing her one chance to bring _her_ world back into tune.

A train whistle blew, alerting all those in the nearby bar that their favorite Lord of the Underworld was coming home again to the world uptop. And with him, the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Clamoring and buzzing with excitement, the bar's customers paid their tabs and rushed out to the station to see the train arrive.

The few remaining people inside hurried to clean up before joining them. The owner, a woman with long, dark hair hanging in a braid down her back, eyes glimmering in a mischievous smile, hummed a tune under her breath as she collected the empty glasses, though she was sure it wouldn't be long before the alcohol would be passed out yet again with the god's arrival (it always was). It was a tune from long ago, from someone she once knew that was now lost, an old song of joy and loss. Her dark eyes were alive, her every step reminiscent of an old dance, an old friend, her very aura serene, yet chaotic.

**_Once upon a time, there was a railroad line_ **  
**_Don't ask where, neither don't ask when_ **  
**_It was a road to hell! It was hard times_ **  
**_It was a world of gods_ **

A young man cleaning the tables stiffened, but then a sad smile stretched across his lips. He'd never quite been the same since his sister set out for the Underground and never came back. But something about her song always seemed to bring her back. Even if only for as long as the song was sung. They'd sing it again and again if they had to if only to keep her story alive, keep _her_ alive.

**_It's an old song_ **  
**_It's an old tale from way back when_ **  
**_It's an old song_ **  
**_And we're gonna sing it again_ **

And they told and sung it again with every start of spring. Harrow never passed up the chance to assist paying tribute to the girl who brought back spring, and helped his marriage, even if she doomed herself in the process.

Having already sent her sons ahead, Sarai could hear the train arriving. They heard it on the tracks, barreling ever closer to the station, and they could sense it in the shift of the winds, chasing away the chill. The red carnation in the window burst into full bloom.

Humming growing louder into words softly sung, she finished the last of her duties before holding out her arm to Soren to lead her out. It was a short walk to the train station, and as the train approached, the band began to play, music swelling into a dance amidst the air and people. Even the newcomers for whom this was the first time couldn't help but join into the infectious beat.

And out the corner of your eye, if you searched for them, you might just catch the Fates. Nameless and at times unable to distinguish from the crowd but easy to catch if you looked by the star markings on their face and skin like a tapestry of the night sky, sparkling as if embedded with diamonds, horns curling from their temple like the devils they were. When they blended in, just another face in few crowd, you sometimes might hear their whispers in your mind, persuading you to follow the path they saw for you, whether good or bad. Seeing them no matter what form they took was like seeing an old acquaintance. Familiar, yet you could never quite put your finger on why or how. Eyes cold and calculating, far wiser and ages older beyond their youthful appearance.

As they clapped along with the beat, one caught Soren's eye. He recognized him instantly from that time in years past. When his sister was still around. When the three whispered into _his_ ear and planted the thoughts in his head about the riches and warmth and shelter down below (a temptation to any struggling in those times). When by doing so, urged his sister to make her journey underground to get him back. When the three sowed the seeds of doubt in his sister's mind that made her falter so close to the end.

The Fate winked at him. Soren turned away.

They were not evil, nor were they good. They were the Fates, leading one to their destiny regardless of its end. That was just the way things _were_ , and that was just the way _they_ were, their ways were a mystery to mortals.

**_And on the road to hell there was a railroad line_ **  
**_And the Lord of Spring stepped off a train_ **  
**_With a suitcase full of summertime_ **

A hush fell over the growing crowd, even the band going quiet, all eyes turned to the train pulled up to the station. Heartbeats passed, and within that eternity of anticipation, seasons could have come and flown by all over again.

And then, the doors opened and Harrow bounded out the train with a suitcase in hand, too overjoyed to be back above in the sunlight and among the living to retain the dignified way he held himself down below, all laughter and warmth and vibrant greens. With his arrival, the world came back to life.

Cheers and shouts rang out as the band continued playing, twice as loud and the festivities went on. Harrow swept through those gathered, greeting regulars each by name with a glow that could only come from once again being topside. Newcomers, he introduced himself with all the grace and elegance one would expect a king of Hadestown to do for one of great importance. Because to him, everyone was worthy of such an honor. A handsome man, skin a warm brown with kind eyes, dreads usually tied back whenever he went down below now loose, it was no wonder he enchanted all who met him.

Once he caught sight of Sarai, he rushed forward, first giving Soren a brief hug before turning to her. The two embraced each other tightly, old friends for as long as she could remember from when the god came above every year. Everybody survived off his presence, that made the flowers and harvest grow and drove off the chill of winter, and his kind, fair spirit made everyone love him all the more.

As he broke away from her, he went off to find her sons (one of which many suspected was his as well, but nobody would say). Once he found them, he swept the youngest into his arms and beckoned the other to follow him as he joined the dancing and festivities.

**_And if you ride that train to the end of the line,_ **  
**_Where the sun don't shine and it's always shady,_ **  
**_It's there you'll find the King of the mine_ **  
**_Oh mighty, Mister Hades!_ **

The sound of his name sent a chill through the air. Harrow and Sarai's smiles faltered for the briefest of moments. While Harrow loved his husband and he had to admit Viren was making more of a proper effort to keep their relationship alive, he felt a pang of guilt for being relieved the man didn't appear at the sound of his name.

**_We got any other gods._ **  
**_Oh right, almost forgot_ **

Attention centered on their hostess once more as the singer quickly rectified his mistake.

**_On the road to hell, there was a railroad station_ **  
**_And a lady with feathers on her feet_ **  
**_Who could help you to your final destination_ **

Sarai bowed deeply as her name came up and the audience applauded. 

Whoops filled the air, glasses raised and the dance went on. As the party grew, the music so loud, Sarai almost thought the noise would break the walls beneath them, she could only encourage the boundless excitement they all felt to bask in the light again after so long in the cold and dark. 

**_See, someone got to tell the tale_ **  
**_Whether or not it turns out well_ **  
**_Maybe it will turn out this time_ **  
**_On the road to hell, on the railroad line._ **

Anyone who knew the tale of the girl who walked to hell to bring back her lover knew how this story ended. But it was tradition, and though it stung to sing it again despite knowing there was no happy ending in sight, they knew. For their lost friends, to ensure she wouldn't be forgotten, that _he_ wouldn't be lost to time like he was to Hadestown, they had to recite it again. 

And what better way to tell it than the way she would have loved it most. In song, to bring people together to enjoy and sing it again among themselves, to bring her story to _life_ again.

**_It's a sad song_ **  
**_It's a sad tale, it's a tragedy._ **  
**_It's a sad song._ **  
**_We're gonna sing it anyway._ **

And that was the thing about her story, listening to it, to hear her hopes and dreams, see her smile once again even if only for as long as the song went on, see the love she held for her lover and the love he held for her, though not enough to stay, see her go on and do the impossible. See that she would have succeeded if only she hadn't stopped thinking she _could_. See the world through her lenses for once, how the world _could be_ , in spite of the way it _was_. It was like feeling that spark of hope in your own soul that maybe, just maybe, she'll pass the test, maybe they'll make it out together hand in hand to enjoy the spring she'd brought forth. 

In spite of knowing how it ends.

As if it might turn out different this time.

Just as she would have wanted it.

With a sad sigh, the many who knew her, even if only as a waitress at the bar, took another collective drink. Until the tragedy, she'd had that way about her, the ability to charm her way into your heart. He never stood a chance.

**_On a road to hell there was a railroad line_ **  
**_And a poor girl working on a song_ **

The music, so lively before, went somber. In that moment, they could have sworn they heard her voice carried on the wind. A soft, sweet melody of a song not yet finished.

**_Her mama was a friend of mine_ **  
**_And this child was of the gods._ **

Her figure begun to slowly appear, not quite there, a pale ghost brought back to the living through the power of her song. Unaware of her surroundings and staring at nothing. The sadness broke through the joyous facade on Soren's face. To relive it all again was painful and sweet all at the same time. A heartbreak for a gain. A funeral for a wedding. A death for life.

**_On a railroad line on the road to hell_ **  
**_You might say that she was touched._ **  
**_Cus' she was a daughter of death itself,_ **

The hero of the story walked into the center of the room, appearing so _real_ but they all knew if they tried to touch her, their hands would pass right through her. She looked exactly as she had the day she was last seen before journeying to Hadestown, minus the sadness and sorrow. A familiar grin stretched across her face, full of mirth. Her satchel rested against her hip, the strap across her chest as she wore her trademark white blouse and suspenders tucked into a dark skirt. As ever, wrapped around her neck was a deep red scarf, a gift from Sarai's eldest son, to help keep her warm as the chill of winter came to the world above. It was the only thing they'd found of Claudia when her brother and friends searched for her, having heard nothing for months after she'd gone.

Everybody hated it. The pain, the anguish, to have her stuck in this permanent loop, to have this be the only thing they had left of her. Her song. Her memory. Her _story_. But it had to happen. Otherwise she'd be forgotten and they'd really have lost her for good.

**_There was one more soul on this road._ **

Similar to Claudia, her lover who she traveled to hell on foot for, slowly appeared, looking like the day the two first met. His hair wild and tousled from the wind, little to his name, a long threadbare coat about a size too big wrapped around his thin frame. A young man who was a runaway from every place he'd ever been. Who'd learned the hard way to only see the world as it was long before he'd come into her life, with little hope it could ever be anything else.

He'd learned how to survive. However, surviving was different than living. And living was something he hardly knew how to do.

**_On the railroad line on the road to hell_ **  
**_There was a young boy looking for something to eat_ **

Until they'd met. And with their meeting, she became the one to teach him what it was like to feel _alive_. And because he'd broken her faith in him by leaving once, she doubted him in that last moment and she also became the one to doom him as he was lost again. Lost to the Underground where he now slaved away in Hadestown for the rest of eternity.

**_And brother, thus begins the tale!_ **

The story begun to take hold, playing before the audience gathered, the two lovers walking their separate paths before intersecting. For a moment, it was like they could forget. Just for a moment. Forget how it ends. Forget how this torturous tale _always_ ends. Forget and pray this will be the time their story finally ends in the way it deserved to, that they would _both_ get the ending they _deserved_. If all only for a moment. 

The two lovers wandered, oblivious to the people watching their tale play out and to each other. Sarai knew, if they were aware of each other and _knew_ , knew what they'd mean to each other, what they'd gone through for each other, knew all that'd happened, then the two would be embracing, sobbing into one another and thanking the Gods that they were together again, that their story was finally as it should be.

Too bad that's not the way the song goes.

**_But they're gonna sing it anyway._ **

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be part of a series. This is the prologue of sorts that takes place in the future before we see how it all played out. I'll be doing one one-shot for each song. 
> 
> I fell into my Hadestown phase again, and at the time, I saw people I know on Twitter talking about the Kaudia ship (Kasef/Claudia), and you know what, I think it's kinda cute! (Mind you, I'll ship almost everything as long as it's appropriate and doesn't erase a character's sexuality, but still!) So I got started on this au because the characters fit and I thought it'd be a fun and cute project! I'll be writing this as fast as I can before I lose interest and get sucked into another project and say I'll finish this one only for years to pass and this still remain unfinished. Anyway, this also has Viren and Harrow married as Hades and Persephone, so of course I couldn't pass this opportunity up!
> 
> Anyway, hope you like this one and look out for the next part of this series!


End file.
